Ramen N.A.O.

My wife and I went on the search for good Ramen noodles in Monterey Park, we decided to come to Ramen N.O.A. just a block away from Armando’s Mexican restaurant. We fell in love with Ramen so much we some of the best like Orochon Ramen and Daikokuya in Little Tokyo. Ramen Yukinoya in Monterey Park and Ramen Tatsunoya in Pasadena one of best ramen we have try but now we are at Ramen N.A.O. to see they can pass our fine taste buds.
The restaurant is average size but always get pack not often but smell is very aromatic. The waitress took us to our table then she hand us the menu, we look at the menu and decided to get two Pai-​Tan and my add a season egg then we order the fried chicken and a bowl of edamame and also I got a pint of Sapporo beer. The first meal arrival at the table was the fried chicken. They fried chicken was really good nice and crispy but the sauce come along with fried chicken was really good.
The edamame was steaming hot and lightly salt it and wasn’t salty we enjoy it. Finally our a Pai-​Tan I couldn’t wait to taste the broth. The broth was amazing good it wasn’t salty it was season well. The ramen noodles was good and it was little bit chewy I enjoy it. My wife enjoy her Pai-​Tan with season egg she love her meal. We enjoy the ramen at Ramen N.A.O we will be back soon.

I keep coming here because the food and service is great. They have a new menu it’s better than before. Ramen is served extra hot so be careful.

Came here on a Thursday night! It’s a small stand alone restaurant so you have to really look for it, but it’s nice that it’s not in a huge plaza. Small parking lot in the back & there’s also street parking. All the waiters were super friendly and prompt!
They offer 6 types of ramen soups & their newest one is miso! My friend got that one and I really really liked it, super creamy & flavorful! I got the pantai ramen & asked for spicy on the side. My ramen was also yummy but I liked miso better. I really liked the noodle texture as well & they give you two large pieces of pork! Lastly we also got the chicken karage & all of our table agreed it was the best thing of the night !!! It was super juicy and tender, and the sauce it came with complimented the chicken super well. Definitely a must order !!
Super cute place, small but cozy, like most ramen joints. Definitely coming back since it’s so close to my work! :)

Not bad, took forever to make especially when we were the only two in the restaurant. The goyza breaks apart before you eat it. The ramen was good but not pretty good. I got the spicy pai-​tan marutoku ramen which comes with roast pork loin chashu. They forgot to make my soup spicy so they threw chilies on top I guess that the way they made it. No MSG which is really good though. The whole season egg is yummy! We also got the miso ramen bowl which they do Sapporo style and they only make 10 a day. This is ok nothing wow or anything. All ramen are chicken broth.

My bf and I came here on a Saturday night for dinner and we were the only people in the restaurant. As other Unilocalers have mentioned, I’m not sure why it takes so long for the food to come out (especially since they were not busy at the time).
I like how the noodles are cooked, but I didn’t understand why the bamboo was not cut into smaller pieces. We both received one super long piece of bamboo, which doesn’t make sense because it’s not like you’re going to eat it all at once.

Came here a few days ago during lunch and it wasn’t that crowded, there’s plenty of tables inside and there’s a patio outside as well. Service was great, the waitress took our orders pretty quickly and came to check up on us a couple of times to see if everything was good. However, it took quite a while for the ramens to come out, probably around 20 mins? I ordered the pai-​tan ramen and it was alright, nothing too special.
Pai-​tan ramen: I’m not a big fan of the chicken broth, it’s too salty for my taste. Also, the two pieces of pork belly chashu were really dry and didn’t have much flavor. The egg was overlooked as well, nothing like what the picture show.
I would come back again and try their other ramens when I’m around the area.

This place made me so sad. We recently came back from Japan where I tried abura soba for the first time. Its ramen, but instead of broth they use a mix of seasoning and oil (or fat in some cases). Its seriously amazing and I haven’t been able to get it out of my head. I dream about it. I drool about it. So when I read the reviews for the Maze ramen at Ramen NAO, I was expecting to have all my hopes and dreams fulfilled. Instead, I was met with a over salted-​lip puckering dish that made me feel like crying.
Ok, not not really.
But it was greatly disappointing. There was so much salt that I couldn’t actually taste anything else after a while. My husband got the Pai-​Tan ramen and thought it was also on the meh side. Too salty and the chashu was on the tough side. The noodles are a great, however. Nice and chewy — perfect for abura soba. Given the overall great reviews I’m wondering if we just got stuck w/​the bottom of the broth barrel. Its unfortunate however, since we won’t be coming back and my search for abura soba continue.

MAZEMEN AND MASSAGE
Unilocalers are all talking about this new ramenya uses chicken instead of the classic pork broth. However, many places in LA already make «paitan» (chix broth) ramen.
I stumbled upon something more special on Ramen NAO’s menu: mazemen («maze ramen»). Mazemen is a newer form of ramen that’s served WITHOUT broth. It’s already been banging it in Tokyo and NYC for years. Now, mazemen has landed in the middle of LA’s foot massage HQ: Monterey Park.
You may ask, «If I just go to any ramen shop and dump out the broth, doesn’t that become mazemen?»
No. That becomes a bowl of inedible shit on a wet countertop, plus you’ve just dishonored the chef.
NAO’s mazemen is more than just ramen sans soup. It has a special mouthfeel. The veggies remain crisp. As you stir it up (to «mazeru» in Japanese), the noodles become coated with a luxurious gravy of sauce and egg yolk. The hefty strands of noodles stay faithfully chewy til the end. Doesn’t OD you on pork like tsukemen (soupless «dipping» ramen), or hit you with an oily sauce like abura soba (soupless «oil» noodles), but a lighter and more refreshing dish.
Your posse can’t decide whether to hit DTLA, WEHO, or NOHO? Tell them MOPA… as in MOnterey PArk, yo! Ignore the wtf silence that follows.

Was looking for another restaurant but happened to stumble upon Ramen NAO! It’s quite easy to miss this restaurant but it helps if you look out for a sign for Victory Restaurant, Ramen NAO is adjacent. We didn’t know what to expect from this Ramen joint but our food came and we were both pleasantly surprised! The broth is made of chicken bones rather than pork and this creates a slightly different taste and aroma. It’s very hard to describe the savoy taste of the soup except maybe saying it has essence of umami. I’m knocking off one star because the Charsui pork wasn’t very good. In fact i’m convinced the pork is a day+ old… the taste is off and very noticeable sorry! Please correct this!

Ramen is delicious! It’s light and very flavorful! Staff is very friendly. Definitely coming back again.

On one particular evening I felt like having Ramen. like NAO! So I turned to Unilocal to try and find a new ramen spot! This is how I stumbled upon Ramen NAO. This little shop is right next to the Victory Restaurant and I believe it took over a former sushi restaurant. You can opet to sit inside or outside. There is a decent amount of outdoor seating (with lamp if you’re cold…) and you can bring your dogs to the patio area too. HUGE PLUS!
When we arrived we were greeted by a very friendly waitress named Marisha. She gets 5* for her service. She was extremely nice, attentive, friendly, and engaging. It was a pretty cold night out so she even offered to turn on the heater lamp for us. To top it off, she noticed that we were with our little pup so she brought out a BIG BOWL of fresh water for our pup!!! After we were done, she asked us for our feedback and took the time to listen to us which was awesome!
FOOD
Pai-​Tan Ramen — Think of it as their version of tonkotsu, except in chicken broth form. For me, the broth is a bit too salty and didn’t taste very «milky». The noodles were very fresh and soft. They had a good balance of chewiness and softness which was nice. Usually the noodles at other places are too firm and have no chew to it. I really hope they tone down the saltiness or give guests an option to do a «less salty» version!
I’ll definitely be back to try it again and see if it’s any better in a few weeks! Thank you Marisha for the awesome service & making sure to turn on the heater and bring out the doggy bowl of water!

Garvey is an incredibly busy street and for good reason — there’s a ton of Chinese restaurants of different varieties and quality levels that line up on both sides of it. It makes a shack on steroids like Ramen N.A.O. easy to miss but I would ask anyone near this area craving ramen to pay a little more attention.
Ramen N.A.O is unique among ramen restaurants in that it doesn’t specialize in the typical Tonkotsu pork broth most ramen restaurants use but on chicken broth, particularly in the Pai-​Tan ramen bowl. And the chicken broth is really what shines, literally and for the taste buds, as it’s not too savory but accentuates the other ingredients of the ramen bowl quite well without being overpowering.
As for the rest of the ingredients? A bit of a mixed bag — I wished the pork chashu was more tender and the egg a little less hard boiled but I did like the addition of a large piece of bamboo shoot and the type of green onions that were used. The noodles were thin and reminiscent of the excellent default noodles a Shinsengumi would use.
For less than 10 bucks a bowl and great service, as well as a relaxing and modern looking interior décor, Ramen N.A.O. is an experience that ramen lovers in the area should try, especially for the chance to savor its delicious and unique chicken broth.
As tempting as it was, I didn’t include any «N.A.O.» puns in this review.

If you think Tsujita LA Artisan Noodles or Daikokuya Ramen is the best ramen you’ve ever had, stop reading now! I’ve been in search of the best ramen in L.A. as a quest for my mom for a while now and have come to find out that any ramen spot can’t compete with my mom’s childhood memories. One helpful Unilocaler friend suggested a number of places but became frustrated when his suggestions didn’t hit the mark. I told him that not one ramen shop had the best of everything. He said, «What’s the ideal ramen?» I said, «So far, noodles from Hakata Ramen Shinsengumi, broth from Motainai Ramen & pork from Tamaya’s.»
Now that you know the back story, onto our local Ramen N.A.O. Noodles are made on-​site, cooked al dente and the only thing that my mom commented on was the color. She would prefer a Yellower noodle. The broth is a roasted chicken and veggie stock. It’s different from my go to Tonkotsu broth but it’s good. I had the Pai-​Tan Marutoku Ramen and in my opinion, was the best of the table. The Gyoza was good but could have been a little crispier. The Kara-​age chicken was also good. They have Sapporo on draft and that’s a plus with my family. The service is friendly and very attentive. I got the Pai-​Tan Marutoku Ramen to go and my son loved it. Welcome to the neighborhood.

We wanted ramen, NAO! And ramen we got. This location was hard to find in the dark… The restaurant sign was covered by the tree and could be easily missed. Well, we sure did and almost walked into a Mexican restaurant a block away. Street parking was easy and we took advantage of it for sure.
Couple of things should be mentioned. 1. They make their own ramen in the back and the taste is very different than other places I have tried. Definitely a plus, and no msg. 2. Be careful when you order because we found out the big difference in between half boiled egg and whole seasoned egg. Of course, who doesn’t like whole seasoned egg? Poor slave girl. 3. Ask for ginger and garlic for enhanced flavor if it’s not offered. 4. They take AMEX. :) no really, you have no idea how excited I was.
Nao to the food. The ramen we ordered were really good. They use chicken broth which is different than the normal pork broth. I must say I like it better because it’s not as heavy. We tried both the clear broth and creamy broth. I like the creamy broth while slave girl likes the other. Both were great and as I have mentioned, my egg was done perfectly. The bamboo shoot was also marinated well and one of the best bamboo shoot in ramen I’ve had. The only down side was the chashu. I had a vision having them melted in my mouth but it was rather chewy. Don’t get me wrong, it was still flavorful and delicious, just not the texture I had in mind.
Fatty like us also ordered a ramen burger to share. This is my first time having ramen burger so it’s hard to compare with any others. The only feedback I have was the lacking on the texture. The pork belly they used in the middle was soft (hate to say, it was softer than the ones in my ramen), and the ramen buns were also soft. When you bite into them, it was just a big soft mush. I didn’t taste any seasoning on the ramen bun and not much of the seasoning inside the bun either. It was not bad but not something I would woo ahh about. Unless there’s a new version of it, probably won’t order again.
The service was fantastic. Our water was never empty and they were very friendly. It’s rare to see in Monterey Park and I appreciate that. Will go back for sure.

Trying to find a good ramen spot around my area, sadly this is not it. I was really hoping this would be the go to ramen spot cause it is within walking distance. I came in on a Saturday afternoon about 50 minutes before it was about to close for the first shift. It was pretty empty when I arrived. For seating, there was about a good 10 tables, outdoor seating, and a counter that fits about 8 people. I was asked if I wanted to be seated at the counter or a table. I decided to be seated at the table.
I ordered the Chashu Ramen — Same order as the Pai-​tan ramen but came with two extra slices of cha shu, didn’t really notice the 3 extra pieces of bamboo shoots. I’m going to have to say I am not a fan of this broth, at first it tasted a bit bitter. I added a bit of ginger into the broth it helped a bit. Chashu was dry and the egg I got was a bit over cooked. I wonder if its a hit or miss with the eggs. Not sure what it is but this bowl of ramen, just doesn’t make you want to crave it.
Parking — Has a mini parking lot in the back that will probably fit about 8 cars and also you can park on the curb.

3.5 Star
Location: on Garvey avenue, a bit difficult to look for but it’s the only modern looking restaurant around the block
Parking: there’s is a small parking area behind the restaurant, had no problem finding parking
What we ordered:
Tori Soborro bowl: love love this rice bowl, the chicken is so juicy and light (usually I would expect ground meat a bit too dry and often too salty). You can pick small or large bowl depending on how hungry you are. We picked the small one to share among two and it was enough if you order two other menu items I have been looking for this for a while, glad I found it ! 5 STAR
Chuuka ramen: my husband has been looking for chukka ramen for a while in SGV but had no luck (if you like chuuka ramen I recommend: what’s up man in Fullerton)
This chuuka ramen, when compared to the other chuuka ramen, was not as flavorful. The soup was way too light for my taste. The ramen ingredient is pretty much standard: bamboo shoot, green onion, meat, and soup. I don’t find this «extra special» 3 STAR
Ramen burger: this is my first time trying ramen burger. It is not as tasty as I imagined. First of all the «noodle buns» were super oily and the dressing in the burger is not that unique. Comes with lettuce, ground beef patty and cheese. I understand they have to add a lot of oil to pan fry the bun but it was also a little burnt to be honest. To me this taste just like a regular burger, not all that special. If you want to try I would skip the cheese. 2.5 STAR

Literally just got back from dinner here, and I wanna preface this review by saying that I first tried Ramen N.A.O. when it was just a few days old. I held off reviewing this because I figured they would do much improving once they hit the ground running… and I was right (as always).
The first visit, I tried the Pai-​Tan Chashumen, the Niku Dango, and the Gyoza. The gyoza was not that great, mostly because it was way too charred. Not very enjoyable. The Niku Dango was definitely a miss since it was drier than the California water reservoirs, borderline inedible. The Pai-​Tan Chashumen was just alright, but mostly unimpressive. The broth was light and was very mild in flavor. Some would consider it somewhat bland, and I couldn’t argue with that. The noodles were great, with awesome texture and definitely different from any other ramen place I’ve tried (and I’ve tried just about all of the popular ones in LA/​OC). The egg was a little too hard-​boiled for my taste. Like an egg cooked medium-​well, if you will. The chashu was cooked to perfection. I wouldn’t change a thing about it. The issue here was that I expected at least 5 slices in a chashumen, but only got 3. I’m very particular with the quality and quantity of meat in my meal, so all things considered, I was pretty uninterested in returning.
Our server at the time was obviously new to serving based on mannerisms, scrambling around, and moved aside our finished plates to make room for our ramen bowls without taking them away… yah so that didn’t really help in getting me to come back.
Fast forward 11 weeks, and the improvements made were obvious. I tried the Chicken Karaage this time and it was the best that I’ve had. The batter was lighter than what you’d get anywhere else in both color and taste, and that’s great. It’s exactly the way I prefer it. This time, I ordered the Pai-​Tan Marutoku Ramen and it was very enjoyable. Got some garlic, chili oil, and chili powder to enhance it. The broth was thicker, and more flavorful this time around. Good job guys! I wanted to go around the little restaurant high fiving everyone for it. The noodles were the same great noodles I had the first time. The chashu was the same and still great. The roasted pork loin that comes with the Marutoku option was pretty good as well and I’d get it again for the sake of variety. The egg was officially on point this time. That was some soft-​boiled goodness right there. Presentation for this ramen was great, as it was previously also. This is officially a flawless bowl of chicken based ramen. I couldn’t tell you if it was traditional or authentic because I never had it when I was in Japan, but I can tell you that it is thoroughly enjoyable. You can walk out of here feeling full, but without feeling like a lardo. If you’re in the mood for some lighter tasting, chicken based ramen with no MSG, this is definitely your spot.
If you are one of those uptight ramen purists that need everything to be authentic and traditionally done as it is in your beloved glorious Nippon, then this probably isn’t the place for you. None of the kitchen staff in my two visits were Japanese. Our server was half Japanese and half Black, which is cool. None of that should matter to any sensible human being as long as they put out great food and service, which they do.
Speaking of service, our server (I think her name is Marisha according to the bill), was friendly, great, and got us everything we needed in timely fashion.
Also I wanna add that I came in around 8:30 pm on a Friday night and there was only one table being served besides us. Considering the fact that Daikokuya in both MPK and Little Tokyo most certainly have lines out the ass on a Friday night like tonight, is straight up bullshit. This place has better ramen than they do, without even the use of MSG either. You all need to get your asses over here and give it a try. I live less than a 10 minute walk away from Ramen N.A.O, and this personal detail is relevant because I’ve been a patron to this location’s restaurants since I was in high school. It was Sushi Sorafune, which I loved but it was just too expensive to survive here. Then it was Gottsui, and that place was a flop. Now that it’s a restaurant I can welcome with open arms in my hood, you people better not let this place go under. I’d hate you all.
With that said, come get some ramen!
Oh and I just read the review by the Unilocaler named Vizion B. Not to put that person on blast, but the review was such a hilarious joke, with full of «wtf» moments. Read it for a giggle and the boost in self esteem because there’s no way you’re dumber than that.

Ramen N.A.O. is definitely a more modern restaurant on Garvey where the nearby shops around it seem o be more run-​down and old. There’s a small lot right behind the restaurant, but plenty of street parking. I definitely like the interior and outdoor seating area of the restaurant — very modern and classic. The restaurant itself isn’t too big, but since there are tables, bar seating, and outdoor seating, I feel like they can fit quite a few parties.
The menu is quite simple — ramen, appetizers, and drinks. But less is more since I think they’d concentrate their efforts on what they make and make it well. I think the most popular menu on the item is the Maze Ramen, a dry noodle. I ordered the Pai-​Tan Ajitama Ramen which comes with the soft-​centered egg yolks, and I was able to try my friend’s Maze Ramen. They also have ramen burgers served here, too!
For the food…
–I really liked the egg, especially the egg yolk.
–Ramen had good consistency
–Maze Ramen was interesting and quite tasty; I liked that the noodles were thicker than my ramen
–Broth had decent flavor
–Meat also had good flavor
–They provided us with some garlic flavoring to add to the ramen, which was nice
–Firmness of noodles were good
I definitely think that the price is a little high for the amount of food given; I only had 2 slices of pork, 1 bamboo, and lots of green onions. The ramen was around $ 10-​$ 11, which I felt was not justified because of the lack of ingredients. My friend’s ramen was around $ 12, a little pricey as well. For my choice of ramen, it came with chicken broth. The taste wasn’t bad, but paying a more premium price for ramen, I’d expect amazing flavor.
Service was really good. There wasn’t much business, but there was a lot of help, so the waiters were quick to help us if we needed anything and quick to clear plates, etc. I think the store is still in its soft opening stage, so the cooks seemed to be trying new things and seeing what worked.
Overall, I think this could be a very popular ramen spot if they adjusted their prices a little and added some more ingredients, I would return more often.

This place only serves chicken broth ramen. No tonkotsu or miso ramen. Since there are several other ramen places in this area I can understand why the owner wants to do something different. Whether it will work remains to be seen.
There are basically three types of ramen here — Pai-​Tan (chicken broth modern style), Maze (dry ramen or tsukemen), and Chuka (chicken broth traditional style). Within each category there are few variation in toppings and range in price between $ 10-​$ 13 (approximately). The modern style supposedly has a creamier broth than the traditional style so I opted for Pai-​Tan, more specifically Pai-​Tan Marutoku Ramen. It came with two pieces of pork belly chashu, two roasted pork loin chashu, bamboo shoots, whole seasoned egg, green onions, and nori.
The chashu pieces and noodles were pretty good. Noodles are made in-​house so they seem to be better quality than other ramen places in the area. However, I was rather disappointed with the broth. Even though it’s suppose to be creamier than the traditional ramen it was still pretty thin and clear. The flavor was rather monotone and was slightly bitter. Bamboo shoots, more like one long bamboo shoot, was extremely rubbery and tough to chew. I actually couldn’t even eat it because I was afraid I was going to yank out my teeth in the process. I think the bamboo shoots are prepared in-​house as well but they’re just too different from other places. They look extremely dehydrated which is probably why they’re so tough to chew.
I wanted to give this place another try before writing a review but I don’t feel any motivation to come back, especially since the price is somewhat on the high end for ramen. Most of the other ramen places in the area charge about $ 8-​$ 9.
There’s only a very small sign on the door window so it’s easy to miss this place. Just look for Victory Restaurant, which is right next to this place.

Simple menu, simply delicious ramen!
The noodles were served al dente, and the broth was wonderfully flavorful without being too salty. The menu is three-​fold: pai-​tan (described to us as modernized), maze ramen, and chuka-​ramen (traditional). Prices are decent ranging from ~$ 10-​$ 15.
It is an extremely small shop, but the décor is minimalistically pleasant. Available seating indoors and outdoors.
Service was attentive and friendly albeit awkward. Parking space is limited behind the store.